


i'm trying to talk 'girl'

by synthehol_king



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Humor, Rare Pairings, ezri is really cute and quark doesn't deserve her
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-14
Updated: 2019-06-14
Packaged: 2020-05-12 00:14:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19217704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/synthehol_king/pseuds/synthehol_king
Summary: Ezri's having romantic troubles. Leeta might not understand (or want to, for that matter) but what are friends for?





	i'm trying to talk 'girl'

**Author's Note:**

> mood: [cue the lofi](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdJUfCLKjag)
> 
> oh boy another rarepair in a rare fandom I was made for this. 
> 
> According to the wiki, originally Quark and Ezri were supposed to end up together, but instead they went with Ezri/Julian. This is just an excuse to play around with what might have been.
> 
> ngl some of this probably reads a bit out of character for everyone involved but I needed something cute, let me live

“Thanks so much for meeting with me here.”

 

Leeta’s eyes widened over the rim of her glass, brows lifting in surprise. A night out for drinks at the Klingon restaurant was hardly a difficult request, but Ezri had made it sound as though she’d just asked her to donate one of her vital organs. Not that that would likely even be possible, given the differences between Trill and Bajoran anatomy. In fact, there was no telling whether or not their blood types were even a match; or worse yet, did Trill require two matches? One for themselves, and one for the symbiont? And as much as she cared for Ezri, she wasn’t sure if her work schedule would allot for such an undoubtedly lengthy medical leave…

 

“It’s just that…” Leeta snapped back to attention. “You’re really the only one I felt that I could talk to about this sort of thing.” 

 

Leeta opened her mouth to speak, dropping the straw she’d clasped between her fingers back into her colorful glass, but Ezri quickly continued her train of thought. 

 

“Isn’t it funny? I mean, not only do I have literal lifetimes worth of experience to reference, but I’m a _counselor_!” She laughed, a little nervously. “A counselor who’s been married four, no, five times…maybe more, Curzon could never keep track of…”

 

“Ezri – “ Leeta interrupted, gently, with a small laugh. The counselor immediately paused, a faint pink glow forming on her cheeks, and Leeta’s smile deepened. She couldn’t recall ever seeing Jadzia blush like that, or at all. Everyone else seemed preoccupied with finding ways in which the two were similar, but Leeta was far more interested in learning who this new, fascinating person currently carrying Jadzia’s memories really was. 

 

So far, she found her adorable.

 

“What exactly are you trying to ask me?”

 

Ezri blinked, confused, before her hue went from pink to coral. She really thought she’d managed to direct her rambling a bit more narrowly than that, but apparently not. She smiled a sheepish smile, cupping her hands around her spiced ginger toddy. These sorts of things really didn’t come easily to her. A lifetime, _her_ lifetime, of being the only daughter in a family of boys, had not prepared her for female friendships. Regardless of how she might feel about labeling this “girl” talk (or how she might feel about that label in regards to herself at all, for that matter), it was certainly unfamiliar territory. Naturally, she’d looked for an expert, and it only seemed natural that the choice would be Leeta. 

 

“So…there’s this guy…”

 

Realization dawned. Ezris practically jumped at Leeta’s responding squeal. 

 

“Oh, is _that_ all? Let me guess, you need to borrow something to wear? I’ve got just the look in mind. Of course, we might have to ask Garak to do some hemming around the top, but – “

 

“No, Leeta, he…” Ezri bit her lip, an embarrassed frown wrinkling her tiny nose. “…hasn’t actually asked me out yet. If at all. I…was hoping you might be able to help me…figure out how to ask him myself?”

 

Oh. Well, that was still hardly a problem – in fact, it was quite the opportunity. Leeta didn’t consider herself an expert in much, but when it came to men, that was another story. Granted, she mused, quite a bit of luck had played a hand in that, genetically speaking. But she had her ways. 

 

And with a little advice, Ezri would no doubt have a few ways of her own.

 

But Ezri was already talking again. “I just hoped that, since it’s someone you know, you might have some insight for me.”

 

Wait. 

 

Someone she knew? 

 

Leeta knitted her brows together, perplexed. A sinking feeling was filling her stomach as she sorted through all the potential candidates, until she reached the inevitable conclusion that was the source of all her dread.

 

Julian. It had to be Julian.

 

Nevertheless, she kept some semblance of a smile on her face, even with her brows knitted together uncomfortably. It’s not as though she had any feelings left towards the doctor – Rom was her husband, the only man for her, no question about it.

 

But…this was awkward. No wonder Ezri had been so nervous.

 

“Ah.” Leeta finally managed. “I see.”

 

Ezri nodded, and the embarrassed smile she was affecting was confirmation enough for Leeta. “Is it that obvious? I know it’s a little, well, unconventional…”

 

Leeta nodded back, trying her best to keep a neutral expression. She supposed being involved with another Starfleet officer could bring some unique challenges. 

 

“…particularly given our history. Or, well, Jadzia’s history.”

 

Leeta resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the reminder of Julian’s particular fondness for Dax. She’d never held any sort of grudge against Jadzia for his wandering eye, of course. But the sheer _obviousness_ of his attraction had been more than a little irritating at the time.

 

“Because, she really did like him. Obviously not as much as I do. But the thing is, _he_ liked _her_. Who is me, but…not really. Not really very much at all, actually.”

 

Ezri’s uncomfortable smile turned very quickly to a frown at the thought, and Leeta’s discomfort melted instantly. Gently, she pulled one of Ezri’s hands away from her cup, and into her own, while using her other to lift up her chin from across the table. 

 

“Ezri,” she smiled. “Believe it or not, you’re not so bad yourself.”

 

Ezri paused, accepted this, and smiled back. A real smile, one that formed dimples in her cheeks and tiny, tiny tears in her eyes. Leeta felt her heart swell three sizes.

 

“Leeta…thank you,” she squeezed her hand back, relaxing a bit more in her chair now with a little sigh. “I’m just so relieved you were okay with talking about it. I mean, I know it’s a little awkward.” Leeta nodded, sincerely now. “Given that he’s your, well…your boss.”

 

Leeta’s smile froze.

 

“Hmm?” She managed, blinking rather rapidly.

 

Ezri blinked back. Tilted her head in confusion.

 

Leeta tried again. 

 

“Quark. You’re…in love with Quark?” 

 

Immediately she felt several pairs of eyes glance their way. Ezri flushed again, making a wild shushing gesture with her hand that admittedly did little to convince the nosy patrons that they had in fact heard wrong. The confirmation replaced the look of shock in Leeta’s eyes to one of horror.

 

Her mouth fell open a little. She tried to speak. Failed. Tried again.

 

“ _…Why_?”

 

Whatever sense of dread Leeta had felt at the suggestion that it might have been Julian increased a hundredfold. However, she couldn’t help but react with an equally growing sense of curiosity. 

 

Ezri was _grinning_ , watching the foam dissipate across the top of her mug so sincerely that it made Leeta a little nauseous. She had rarely seen someone on this station act so _sincere_. And given the subject matter, she had never wanted so badly to be wrong in her assessment.

 

“Jadzia…she really did like Quark,” Ezri began. “As a friend. As a tongo player. As…well, as a Ferengi.” At this, Leeta nodded. Traditionalist he was not, but Rom was a Ferengi nonetheless, and no one had to explain to her the sort of treatment he had received on this station. Or the entire alpha quadrant for that matter. Dax was one of the few who’d treated the Ferengi as immediate equals, rather than requiring they prove themselves worthy of respect in _spite_ of their backgrounds.

 

“They weren’t right for each other,” Ezri conceded. “She knew he liked her, but…she just didn’t see him that way. She never really liked it when people...”

 

“Put her on a pedestal?” Leeta suggested, with a sheepish grin of her own. Ezri nodded enthusiastically, recognizing the irony.

 

“And Quark did that! Does that. Constantly,” she frowned. “He never really took his own worth into account around her.”

 

Leeta raised an eyebrow, to which Ezri nodded again.

 

“I know, I know, he’s full of himself. But that doesn’t always mean he _likes_ himself.”

 

Ezri sighed. Leeta frowned. 

 

She didn’t like this. Not even a little bit. Quark was a rude, self-centered, and obnoxious, and that was being generous. He could also be cold, cruel, and painfully misogynistic at the drop of a dime. Ezri, however, was sweet and kind and beautiful and should be protected at all cost, particularly from the likes of Quark, in Leeta’s opinion.

 

But she was still _smiling._ Smiling about _Quark_ of all people, when there were plenty of perfectly good options glancing her way even now, in the middle of Kaga’s crowded restaurant. She had to notice them. 

 

But apparently she didn’t care. She was too preoccupied with thoughts of the absolute last person Leeta might ever have considered suggesting she pursue. 

 

She had to admit, she was intrigued.

 

“But what about _you_?” Leeta asked, slowly, considerately. “What is that you like about Quark?”

 

Ezri furrowed her brow for a moment, pensively. Leeta almost winced – she couldn’t help it. She reminded her of someone when she frowned like that, her eyes half lidded and serious, head tilted back slightly. This station was full of ghosts; it was hard not to notice them from time to time. However, the voice that answered was unmistakably Ezri, as was the little reflection of curiosity in her inflection as she spoke.

 

“Have you ever played tongo with Quark?”

 

Leeta shook her head. She knew better than to play tongo against anyone who wasn’t Rom.

 

“Sometimes I still do. Jadzia loved to, and she was definitely a lot better at it than I am,” Ezri laughed. “But even when I was Jadzia, even when he was trying to win her over…he never let her win.”

 

She glanced across the room, avoiding eye contact. She looked as though she were searching for someone, or something, or many things – none of which she expected to find. This station was full of ghosts – but they were not always easy to find.

 

Ezri sighed, abandoning her search as she turned her gaze back to meet Leeta’s, chin resting in her hands. “I never really planned for this. Being here, I mean. Or being joined. It just sort of happened.

 

“And I certainly wasn’t planning on Benjamin swooping in, bypassing all my training and promoting me _months_ before I was supposed to be, all because of who I _used_ to be and the things I _used_ to know how to do, like counseling station captains and giving orders and asking people out to dinner…” 

 

She leaned back from the table, folding her arms with a sigh. 

 

“Not that I’m not grateful, obviously, I mean, who wouldn’t be…but, it’s just,” she waved her hands in frustration. “This is exactly what I was trying to avoid! If I wanted everything handed to me because of who I was, I could have just stayed back home.”

 

Ezri dragged a hand down her face, her shoulders slumping in another frustrated sigh. Leeta gave a sympathetic pout, feeling sorry and guilty and endeared all at once. 

 

This really was complicated.

 

But then Ezri quickly shook her head, revealing a small, hopeful smile underneath her hand as she pulled it away. “But Quark…he doesn’t give me any shortcuts. No cheat codes. No…expectations.” She laughed, shaking her head, in full awareness of her own absurd logic. “He doesn’t let me win at tongo. That’s why I like him.” She shrugged. “That, and his nose ridge are kinda cute when he smiles, okay?”

 

After a moment of stunned silence, Leeta found herself laughing along with Ezri, a genuine smile finding its way onto her face. Smiling at the _honesty_ in Ezri’s answer, and how positively, genuinely smitten she seemed to be. It was charming, in spite of who it was directed at.

 

Although, in regards to Quark’s nose ridges, she had once ( _and only once, well before she and Rom were an exclusive item_ ) caught herself thinking the same thing, before later insisting that it was simply the resemblance he bore to Rom, and nothing else. So at least she could somewhat understand one thing about whatever strange situation Ezri had found herself in.

 

Still, did it have to be _Quark_ , of all people? As much as Leeta truly believed that there was someone, somewhere, for everyone, Quark had always been one to test her faith in that belief. And she never in a million years would have picked that person to be Ezri. She’d always pictured Quark with someone just as slimy and ill-mannered as himself. Or maybe a mirror. Or a bar of latinum.

 

But, she could hardly share that with the friend sitting across from her, expectantly awaiting her input.

 

Leeta released her sigh internally. This really, really was more complicated than she’d anticipated.

 

“Alright. I’ll be honest with you, Ezri, I’m not entirely thrilled with the idea,” Leeta was choosing her words carefully, picking up speed when she saw Ezri’s expression fall. “But if he really makes you happy, then sure, why not? Stranger things have happened.”

 

Ezri’s smile returned, albeit a little uncertainly. “Right, I guess. So…what should I do?”

 

“Hmm?” Leeta asked around the straw she’d returned to her mouth, confused by the question.

 

“I mean, how should I approach him? I mean it’s not like I haven’t asked someone out before. Heck, I’ve asked someone to marry me before. Or, well, one of us did. But you know him better than I do, Leeta, or at least better than Ezri does. And I’m not sure Jadzia’s memories are as helpful as they could be in this situation.”

 

Again, Leeta stared back in confusion. _Approach Quark_? The idea of flirting with Quark was enough to make her shudder, but not only that, it hardly seemed necessary. It wasn’t as if he wasn’t…

 

…wait.

 

Did she actually think that…

 

“…you don’t think he’s already interested in you?” Leeta practically sputtered. “You’re joking, right?”

 

Ezri stared back, a pitifully worried expression on her face.

 

“Like I said, I know he wanted Jadzia, but…”

 

To be fair, who hadn’t?

 

“…and I know he’s flirted with me, obviously, but there’s a difference between finding someone attractive and actually going through with it, you know?”

 

Not with Quark, there wasn’t. He seemed to cast his nets and see where they landed.

 

“...and for all I know, I could be totally wrong, and maybe he _is_ just interested in me because of Jadzia, and then when he realizes that I’m nothing like her it’ll be the Worf situation all over again…”

 

Leeta placed her hands overtop Ezri’s. This had to stop. 

 

“Ezri. Trust me. He likes you.”

 

She’d be lying if she didn’t admit that the hopeful glow that suddenly lit up Ezri’s face wasn’t a little disturbing given the circumstances…but it was still pretty cute.

 

“Now, here’s what you’re gonna do…”

**Author's Note:**

> so I wrote this and accidentally started shipping Ezri/Leeta, then realized that was a thing in the mirror universe oops. 
> 
> Ezri is non-binary just fyi
> 
> there might be more of this? I kind of want to add another chapter but I don't trust myself to actually finish it so it's a one-shot for now. anyway if you want more let me know, I'll try and make it happen!


End file.
